Yes everyone, it's here. For the very slow me, it has come. But for the more updated, it has been here like eons ago. The Korean wave (or K-wave) has landed on our shores, threatening to sweep us all off our feet. The onslaught of Korean drama serials, pop music and culture has open up and challenged our perceptions of Korea. It is not uncommon nowadays to watch Korean drama serials on our TV with Channel U offering up its fair share. For the cable subscribers there are even 2 more channels which cater to your every K-needs. Fortunately (or unfortunately? :-) ) I have finally caught on to the craze and come to appreciate these serials for what they are. Jewel in the Palace, the hit Korean serial about a palace chef introduced me to the traditional form of Korean culture with the scenic locations as well as a well-thought storyline. On the topic of storyline, although there is a school of thought that Korean serials have very similar storyline (they are quite really), they do have variations and the realistic portrayals more than make up for the predictable storyline. Korean reality television also has a very different way of attracting the viewers that I have difficulty trying to describe. Then there is Korean pop music which was introduced to my more fashion-conscious bro. Super Junior, the recent performer in the recent Melody Awards in Taiwan, is a mega-hit with fans all over the world. Their single "Sorry Sorry" has sparked massive following with fans taking to imitating their dance moves and even classes on how to dance to their music. It helps that they have boyish good looks and lots of idol quality. FT island graced our shores just yesterday and released quite a few hits.
Well, I'm not really sorry that I have caught the K-train. (maybe just a little since I caught a really late one) Till next time, may we all learn the dance steps for "Sorry Sorry". :-)
Monday, June 29, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
The many faces of English
The English language is a mystery. Many people have tried decoding it but to no avail. Many more have tried to understand it but failed. There are so many facets of English that are all unknown territory. Not even Christopher Columbus could completely discover this vast piece of land. How many ways can you express sadness? Heartbroken, downhearted, disconsolate, devastated. These are just some of the words that are synonym to "sadness". Unbelievable isn't it? That is probably one of the contributing reasons why some people (me included) find it hard to learn a new language. If there are so many words that have the same meaning then why not use them interchangeably or even eliminate some of them to make things easier? Linguists will say that there are some differences to the different words and although some of them differ by a minute degree, they add colour and variety to the language. They will say it's the beauty of the language. Well, tell that to the normal primary/secondary/tertiary students. It's a massive headache!
On one hand the intricate patterns of the English language can be a terror to learn, on the other hand I must admit that I do enjoy the language especially what is written in books. The different words use in different situations has a magical feel to it, bringing something as two-dimensional as a story in a book to life. They can change something as mundane as going to work/school into vivid pictures and endless adventures. Learning it is difficult but appreciating it makes it much more bearable.
On one hand the intricate patterns of the English language can be a terror to learn, on the other hand I must admit that I do enjoy the language especially what is written in books. The different words use in different situations has a magical feel to it, bringing something as two-dimensional as a story in a book to life. They can change something as mundane as going to work/school into vivid pictures and endless adventures. Learning it is difficult but appreciating it makes it much more bearable.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Updating the updates...
Just had an exhausting mj session just now. Whew! We managed to complete 3 complete rounds and I'm glad to say I ended up in the green despite being in the red after the 1st 2 rounds. It was great fun and I hope to do it real soon.
On another note, some events coming up include the financial literacy camp at Shu Qun Sec Sch, the training and the camp itself. Should be a fun-filled experience starting with this Saturday morning with the training for the camp. There will be some testing for the stations for the fun-trail among other interesting activities. Side-tracking, the Praxis game looks to be one of the highlights of the camp. The elegant game-play infused with simple tidbits of financial education makes it ideal for secondary school students to tackle.
Finally, results are going to be released in just over a half an hour. Good luck to all NTU students!! (Though there's nothing we can do about the results anyway :p )
On another note, some events coming up include the financial literacy camp at Shu Qun Sec Sch, the training and the camp itself. Should be a fun-filled experience starting with this Saturday morning with the training for the camp. There will be some testing for the stations for the fun-trail among other interesting activities. Side-tracking, the Praxis game looks to be one of the highlights of the camp. The elegant game-play infused with simple tidbits of financial education makes it ideal for secondary school students to tackle.
Finally, results are going to be released in just over a half an hour. Good luck to all NTU students!! (Though there's nothing we can do about the results anyway :p )
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Marina Barrage + MJ session
On Friday I went with my air force buddies to visit the much talk upon Marina Barrage. A little background about the place. It's actually a large dam which helps to store water for the reservoir. In times of flood, the dams open and allow water to flow out to the ocean. It's a pretty interesting place because its architecture at some parts i.e the Green Roof actually looks like the design of NTU's ADM. We took a shuttle service from Marina Bay MRT which took us directly to our destination. When we arrived, we proceeded to visit the exhibition. It was quite cool since they made use of recycled materials to put it up. There was even a place where we could take free photographs and we stayed quite a while. Next, we went up to the rooftop where we saw a couple of interesting things which included 2 different couples taking their wedding shots there. After our visit to the barrage, we went down to Clarke Quay to have our dinner. Our dinner was...bak kut teh!!! Delicious it was, and there was even free refill of the soup. There were 3 different tables which categorised our spending powers: low, medium and wealthy. After dinner, some of the guys went to play LAN while the rest (including myself) started for home sweet home.
The next topic was the overnight mj session at jon's house. It was pretty exciting because it was the first time the 4 of us i.e the spades/mj/Big2/bridge gang were playing overnight. The night promised to be one of intrigue, deceit, risk-taking and of course barrels of fun. As we caught up with each other with regards to our school and personal lives, we also engaged in one of the most deadly spy games in recent history. Bluffing and double-bluffing as we tried to rack up the most number of doubles. I didn't do too badly and yf was the big winner. When edwin left, the rest of us pored over the updated CM 01/02 with yf taking on his beloved Blackburn. Combining tactics and his transfer acumen, Blackburn managed a very credible 8th place and even made it all the way to the quarter-finals for one of the cups. Exhausted and only standing because of adrenaline, we managed to stumble our way to the coffee shop downstairs to take in much-needed rations. The we went our separate ways while planning other more fun activities in the coming holidays.
Well, that's all for an update. On another note, I've not paid my hostel application fees and am seriously considering not paying for it since the chances of success is not particularly high.
The next topic was the overnight mj session at jon's house. It was pretty exciting because it was the first time the 4 of us i.e the spades/mj/Big2/bridge gang were playing overnight. The night promised to be one of intrigue, deceit, risk-taking and of course barrels of fun. As we caught up with each other with regards to our school and personal lives, we also engaged in one of the most deadly spy games in recent history. Bluffing and double-bluffing as we tried to rack up the most number of doubles. I didn't do too badly and yf was the big winner. When edwin left, the rest of us pored over the updated CM 01/02 with yf taking on his beloved Blackburn. Combining tactics and his transfer acumen, Blackburn managed a very credible 8th place and even made it all the way to the quarter-finals for one of the cups. Exhausted and only standing because of adrenaline, we managed to stumble our way to the coffee shop downstairs to take in much-needed rations. The we went our separate ways while planning other more fun activities in the coming holidays.
Well, that's all for an update. On another note, I've not paid my hostel application fees and am seriously considering not paying for it since the chances of success is not particularly high.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Holidays
Holidays are here. I thought they would never come. Yet here they are. What should I do? Should I find work? Who would want someone who can only work for a few months? So many questions but how do I find the answers? Anyway, some relaxation first. There are some events coming up including the Singapore Outreach fun trail. Looks like this could be fun! Tomorrow would be the release of Alara Reborn. This set promises thrills and spills as it's an all-multi-coloured set. Difficult to pick and choose. The Premiership is going down the wire but Man Utd looks set to clinch it. Not sure about their Champions League charge though they managed to defeat Arsenal at Old Trafford. Well, we shall see of course. Not much more to say except I'll probably enjoy this holiday. After all, this spells the official end of my first year in NTU! Hooray!!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
It's finally over...
Yes, the dreaded exams are finally over! No more books and notes. No more endless head-scratching and wondering if my answer is correct. No more having the headaches which seem to accompany me during these periods. A sense of serenity has come over me. The peace and tranquility that surrounds me is only interrupted by the incessant drilling that's going on in my neighbour's house. How I wish that the renovations would be completed as soon as possible.
On another note, Liverpool completed an astonishing fightback which saw the second 4-4 in as many games. I must say it's very poor defending on Liverpool's part to concede so many goals. Arshavin put Arsenal ahead with a well-taken goal which bounced off the crossbar after great work from Fabregas. Monster was at fault here, easily giving away the ball. Liverpool showed great spirit after the break, attacking the Kop end. Torres help Liverpool draw level with a downward header which beat Fabianski who had a much better game than against Chelsea. Liverpool went ahead after a Dirk Kuyt cross from the right was met bravely by Yossei Benayoun who clashed with an Arsenal defender before putting the ball past the line despite the efforts of Fabianski. Then came the incredible defensive errors. Arbeloa was robbed off the ball by Arshavin before he unleashed an unstoppable shot that curled away from Reina and bulged the bottom right hand corner of the net. Arshavin has shown why he was such an inspiration for Russia in the World Cup and why Arsene Wenger was more than willing to splash out the cash for him. Arsenal went ahead after Aurelio failed to clear a cross in the penalty area and Arshavin controlled the ball beautifully with his first touch before putting it past the despairing arms of Reina. Liverpool were not done yet though. An innocuous cross was aimed at Torres, who checked before turning his marker and powering it past Fabianski. At 3-3 there were murmurs of the spirit of Istanbul as the Reds chased a win. However, their hopes were dashed when a corner kick of Liverpool was cleared into the path of Theo Walcott who dashed the whole of 30 yards before laying it off on a platter for Arshavin to finish. The introductory of Walcott was inspirational, unlike Babel who came on for an ineffective Reira. All hopes of catching Manchester United seem to fade into the distance as the final whistle drew near. Then 3 mins into extra time, Yossei Benayoun made it 4 a piece after a goalmouth scramble to help Liverpool secure a yet to be precious 1 point. Liverpool are now level on points but Manchester United has 2 games in hand. The title chase looks set to be over.
On another note, Liverpool completed an astonishing fightback which saw the second 4-4 in as many games. I must say it's very poor defending on Liverpool's part to concede so many goals. Arshavin put Arsenal ahead with a well-taken goal which bounced off the crossbar after great work from Fabregas. Monster was at fault here, easily giving away the ball. Liverpool showed great spirit after the break, attacking the Kop end. Torres help Liverpool draw level with a downward header which beat Fabianski who had a much better game than against Chelsea. Liverpool went ahead after a Dirk Kuyt cross from the right was met bravely by Yossei Benayoun who clashed with an Arsenal defender before putting the ball past the line despite the efforts of Fabianski. Then came the incredible defensive errors. Arbeloa was robbed off the ball by Arshavin before he unleashed an unstoppable shot that curled away from Reina and bulged the bottom right hand corner of the net. Arshavin has shown why he was such an inspiration for Russia in the World Cup and why Arsene Wenger was more than willing to splash out the cash for him. Arsenal went ahead after Aurelio failed to clear a cross in the penalty area and Arshavin controlled the ball beautifully with his first touch before putting it past the despairing arms of Reina. Liverpool were not done yet though. An innocuous cross was aimed at Torres, who checked before turning his marker and powering it past Fabianski. At 3-3 there were murmurs of the spirit of Istanbul as the Reds chased a win. However, their hopes were dashed when a corner kick of Liverpool was cleared into the path of Theo Walcott who dashed the whole of 30 yards before laying it off on a platter for Arshavin to finish. The introductory of Walcott was inspirational, unlike Babel who came on for an ineffective Reira. All hopes of catching Manchester United seem to fade into the distance as the final whistle drew near. Then 3 mins into extra time, Yossei Benayoun made it 4 a piece after a goalmouth scramble to help Liverpool secure a yet to be precious 1 point. Liverpool are now level on points but Manchester United has 2 games in hand. The title chase looks set to be over.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Struggling with the inevitable
The exams are almost over but the stress just seem to keep piling up. Wish tuesday will come asap before the weight becomes unbearable. Linear algebra threatens to unhinge everything I have learnt so far. Tough luck really.
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